Heritage Church Welcomes New Members

On Sunday, December 4, 2022, Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church welcomed new members.

Hope Abdalla

It was just three weeks prior to the service that Hope Abdalla gave birth to the Abdallas’ first child – Maeve. Hope is a biochemist who works in a genetic testing lab, and her hobbies include cooking, baking, reading, and spending time with her family.

Hope found HUUC after moving to Cincinnati, having already tested the UU waters in her previous home of Lexington, Kentucky. She had grown up Baptist, and her husband Jonathan was raised unchurched – so after some exploration and experimentation, together they decided Unitarian Universalism was the best fit for them. They say it represented something of a middle ground for an atheist, and a conservative Christian. Finding a community where their daughter could learn about other worldviews was very important to them, and the primary reason they decided to join Heritage.

Erin and Sean Carpenter

Erin and Sean Carpenter, and their daughter Scarlett, moved to Cincinnati in 2019 from Portland, Oregon, where they say they learned how tall trees can really grow, not to mention the best spot to access the Pacific Ocean, and secrets to brewing “hipster coffee.” Sean and Erin met in Chicago, where they lived together for thirteen years – but by the time Scarlett was a toddler, the need for a quieter life called them back to the Midwest. They found a home and a neighborhood public school in Mt. Lookout, near Scarlett’s grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins.

For Sean, the best part about living in Ohio is the easy access to golf, his favorite way to de-stress from his job as a software product director at a fast-paced technology startup based in Chicago. Erin has exercised her voice in local politics, and is co-chair of the principal’s advisory committee at Scarlett’s school. After twenty years as a communications consultant, she is now beginning her next professional chapter in the non-profit sector.

As for Scarlett, she’s a dedicated ballerina – performing every winter and spring in her ballet studio’s full-scale professional productions. Scarlett is fueled by adrenaline and sugar, and has never met a rock wall she didn’t scale, a mountain she didn’t ski, or a pastry she didn’t devour. (Those are mom’s words…)

Team Carpenter found Heritage in the fall of 2021 after some church shopping, and they were immediately drawn in by our warm and welcoming community, the families of other young children, and our engaging religious education programming.

Cheryl Collier

Cheryl Collier says she heard about the Universalist Church from a friend who lives in Portland, Oregon. Cheryl lives in Newtown, and when she searched the Internet for a Universalist church, she found Heritage right up the street from her. She came to Heritage for a while prior to the pandemic, then briefly moved out of state. When she came back to town, she resumed attending Heritage, this time on Zoom.

Cheryl works at the Talbert House, on the suicide prevention hotline, but will soon be going back to working in a group home for adults with developmental disabilities.

She says she hasn’t had a support system of her own in recent years, which makes Heritage even more special and important to her. After helping others professionally, she often feels drained, but recently started going to a gym to improve her mood and health. And she says going to church at Heritage, whether in person or on Zoom, helps her feel calm and at peace – a feeling she had never associated with church before. “I’ve never gone to a church where I was actually greeted and felt like I wasn’t being judged,” she says.

Valerie DuBay

Valerie DuBay is the vocalist in a five-piece local band called Wild Honey. She’s always been a singer, and lover of music, but she also had a career in dance, in New York City. Now retired, she spent much of her professional career as a teacher.

Valerie taught for years at the Cincinnati Waldorf School, as well as at North Avondale Montessori School. She also worked for several years at Cincinnati Natural Foods.

Valerie loves to read and garden, do yoga and travel, eat great food and cook, and spend time with friends, family, and her partner, Neal Watzman.

And although she worked for many years with young people, Valerie writes, “I am still growing, myself – growing spiritually – and am blessed to be joining Heritage, which is now a part of my spiritual path.”